Pravin Tambe among two Indians to be a part of CPL 2020 players' draft

The Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is set to be played between August 18 and September 10 behind closed doors, subject to the permission from the local government. Keeping in mind the COVID-19 outbreak, the players’ draft ahead of the tournament will be a virtual one, where 537 players have been listed.

Many overseas stars like Chris Lynn, Rashid Khan, Qais Ahmad and Rilee Rossouw have already been snapped up by franchises as there overseas signings, ahead of the draft. The players’ draft of the CPL also features two Indian names– Pravin Tambe and Asad Pathan.

48-year-old Tambe, who had grabbed the limelight due to his performance for Rajasthan Royals, is also the oldest player in the draft. Tambe had recently played the T10 league in 2018 for the Sindhis and was a regular in the Rajasthan Royals bowling force between 2013 and 2015.

Pravin Tambe was also snapped up by KKR in IPL 2020 auction

The veteran was even snapped up by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in IPL 2020 auction but was forced to withdraw after BCCI disqualified him for playing in unsanctioned leagues like the T10. Mumbai‘s Tambe has played 33 matches in the IPL and has scalped 28 wickets at an economy of 7.75. He even has a four-wicket haul under his belt.

Talking about the second Indian name in the players’ draft, 36-year-old Asad Pathan currently plays for Railways. He has also donned the Royal Challengers Bangalore jersey in past and has also played the T10 in Dubai. Pathan donned the Bangalore franchise jersey six times in 2011-12.

Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi is the only player to be listed in the highest bracket (USD 1,60,000) in the players’ draft. Following Afridi is England’s World Cup-winning skipper Eoin Morgan, who has been listed in USD 1,30,000 bracket. Additionally, Tom Banton, Tim Southee and Ben Cutting have been included in the USD 1,10,000 bracket.

Other well-known names in the players’ draft are Faf du Plessis, David Miller, Mohammad Nabi, Sandeep Lamichhane, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Kagiso Rabada, Carlos Brathwaite, Alex Hales and Shaheen Shah Afridi.

One of the star attractions of the CPL, Chris Gayle, recently pulled out from the tournament citing personal reasons. The swashbuckling opener revealed he needed a break and wanted to spend time with his young family amid COVID-19 pandemic.